Page 37 of Dante

Damn, not him too?

Now they’re all going to start.

Carter set down a power cable on the table loaded with electronics next to the van and frowned. “What are you guys jawing about now?”

“Not much,” Cooper replied. “Just the smile on Dante’s face and the fact Amanda put it there.”

Every operator on the ESI payroll stopped what they were doing and walked over.

Except for Sinjin.

The guy least likely to gossip stood by the heavy bag and continued to wrap his hands, a rueful expression on his face as their gazes met.

“Really?” Surprise flickered through Carter’s eyes before a wide grin spread across his face. “Ah, you finally gave into need and did the deed. Good for you, man.”

“In…to the need…into the need,”Lex, the idiot’s crazy cockatoo repeated.

“Did the deed…did…the deed,”Marilyn, Dex’s equally crazy cockatoo chimed in.

Those smart birds never failed to make him laugh, even now when the joke was about him.

“Yeah, good for you, Dante.” Hunter stepped close to slap Dante briefly on the back. “You look happy.”

“You do,” Mac said, his gaze serious. “Happier than we’ve seen you in years.”

Probably because hefelthappier than he’d been in a long damn time. Amanda made him feel good about himself, about the way he took care of his son…and the way he took care of her.

“Thanks,” he finally said, pulling his mind from her hot curves before his favorite body part had a chance to respond.

“Glad for you, man,” Dex said, with his arm around Rylee.

She smiled warmly at him. “I like Amanda. She’s a good person.”

He thought so too. And he definitely liked her. A lot.

“But we plan to take it slow,” he told them, hoping they’d get the hint and not blow things out of proportion, especially when Noah was around.

Carter snorted. “Good luck with that.”

He frowned. “What do you mean?”

“He means, every single one of us here tried that tactic and we all FUBAR’d that op big time,” Dean said.

Cooper nodded. “And nearly blew our chances at happiness by being a—”

“A guy,” Rylee said with a grin.

The others laughed and nodded.

“True.” Dex tugged his wife closer and kissed her temple.

Dean blew out a breath and shook his head. “And if you’re trying to dofriends with benefits, that’s even worse.”

RJ snorted. “That one gets out of control real fast.”

Sheri was afriends with benefits, and so was Monica, the paramedic.

“Amanda isn’t in that category,” he stated.